


Your Fan Forever

by kaminarimegami



Category: NINE PERCENT (Band)
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Minor Character Death, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2020-01-07 15:39:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18413621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaminarimegami/pseuds/kaminarimegami
Summary: Apparently, forever can apply to the afterlife too





	Your Fan Forever

Chen Linong has been mulling over life and death for a while now.

He thought how fragile a human being’s life could be. How one illness, when left unchecked, can cruelly eat up the organs and then make the body shut down. Or how one wrong word is spoken, and then a weapon of some kind is busted out, leaving the victim to die due to severe blood loss.

The ice in his coffee melted a long time ago. And now, his drink is reduced to a watered down version of what used to be this creamy caffeine goodness he usually enjoys.

“You’ve been quiet since our reunion,” Lin Yanjun, who was seated beside him, gently nudged his elbow.

The younger man looked up. Lin Yanjun is chill, but this gege is more perceptive than people give him credit for. Blame his party-face, and the cold but lovable dork he portrays when the cameras are rolling, when in reality Yanjun is an emotionally mature person who can immediately sense when something is going on.

“Just thinking, Yanjun-ge,” he finally admitted, setting his coffee aside.

“About?”

“What happened in the last day of our reunion.”

Yanjun raised an eyebrow, “Well, what happened, really? You were gone most of the afternoon, that we had lunch without you.”

Linong visibly hesitated, biting his lower lip as he struggled to piece together his thoughts. This is his Yanjun-ge, after all, but he doesn’t know where to start.

“I found something out, ge,” Linong finally said.

“And that is?” Yanjun prompted.

Linong took a deep breath, “Ge, how…how would you react when you find out that a fan died because of you?”  
***

One week ago…

It’s been a few years since their contract as Nine Percent was finished. Linong remembers it like it was just yesterday, how their group wrapped everything up with a full CD and a huge world tour for their Nines. After their last concert, which was held in Beijing, Cai Xukun made everyone promise that they should have a reunion whenever they can. So far, they managed an annual get together, which worked pretty well with their extremely busy schedules. Last year, they all had a week-long vacation in Japan. This year, though, they decided to make it different.

“How about we go somewhere a little provincial?” Chengcheng suggested, “Like, hole-in-the-wall type of vacation spots?”

Xiao Gui immediately jumped to it, “Yeah! We always go to the popular places.”

“Maybe we can find something like that online,” Justin whipped his phone out and began to surf the net.

“As long as there are no scary things involved, then I’m good,” Zhengting said, putting his feet up on Ziyi’s lap.

“Find a scary place, then,” Yanjun told Justin, and the former immediately ducked as a pillow came flying towards his face, courtesy of their group’s violent fairy.

Xukun picked the pillow up then placed it back on the sofa, “No scary things. You’ll all have heart attacks and that will not be good.”

“I’ll help in searching, then,” Zhangjing also took his phone out.

Conversation became muted at this point. Nearly half an hour later, Justin found a new resort that offers indoor pools, access to a white sand beach, banana boats, kayaking, and four-star amenities. Everybody was taken by the beautiful pictures in the resort’s website, and they all agreed to go there. While Justin booked their rooms, Zhangjing took care of their plane tickets.

Before they knew it, it was the day of their flight.  
***

Linong was nervous. He’s never been to this place before, even the country where the resort was located. And to think his first trip there is with his best friends.

The place didn’t disappoint; it was exactly as the website described.

The first three days were pretty uneventful. Only a handful of guests were in the resort, so everything was peaceful and quiet. Linong and his brothers spent day and night outside, enjoying the clear water while building sand castles (but failing because either the water washes it up or a few of them would end up throwing sand balls at one another). And during the night, they’d relax in the Jacuzzi after dinner before retiring in their own rooms.

“Hello,” he greeted politely, “I just joined the group and didn’t catch the first part of the history of this resort. Is it okay if you tell me what I missed from the discussion?”

She grinned, “Sure! I don’t mind. I’m Iris, by the way. Nice to meet you!” she held a hand out.

“I’m Chen Linong,” he shook her hand, a little awed by her friendly smile.

“I know, I’m a fan,” she said casually, “Been one since your Idol Producer days.”

Linong’s eyes widened, “Oh, really?” he couldn’t help the faint blush on his cheeks. He didn’t expect that he’ll meet a Nong Candy in this resort out of all places.

“Yeah,” Iris nodded then gestured for Linong to follow her to the large window, “Anyway, this resort was built by the owner for his eldest daughter. She has a fondness for antiques and vintage things, which is why everything you see here is pretty old fashioned.”

She pointed eastwards, towards another vintage house near the game arena, “That is the oldest house here so far. It was actually inspired by the Spanish heritage houses found in the Philippines. That used to be the receiving area but it was converted last year into a guest accommodation house when the resort finally expanded.”

“Oh,” Linong gazed at the direction she was pointing, “How old is the resort, exactly? And are the houses here just new?”

“Four years, turning five in two months,” she answered, “Some of them are pretty new and just styled to look old. Others are legitimately vintage houses taken from their original locations and then restored.”

His eyes widened, “Wow. And what about the beach?”

“If you are thinking it’s manmade, it’s not,” Iris chuckled then walked to the left. She gazed out at the window, which showed a breathtaking view of the sea, “This land was bought by the owner and it just happened to be near a body of water. He’s a retired seaman, by the way, so he thought he’d invest in a small resort as family business.”

“He must have made a lot of money, then,” Linong noted.

“We don’t really get a lot of guests, but he has big-time connections who would rent the whole resort for a few days or for an event like weddings, family reunions, and even birthdays,” Iris said.

“Wow,” the Taiwanese felt even more awed at the place, “All of this for his daughter, huh? How did she react when she found out he made this resort for her?”

Iris shrugged, “I don’t really know. Haven’t met her yet. She probably lives in the city.”

“Oh. Wait, how long have you been here?”

She thought about it, “A year? Yeah, I’ve been working here for a year now.”

Their conversation was cut off because the people finished exploring and the tour group resumed. But before they parted ways, Linong manage to make a request with Iris.

“Can we hang out after your shift?” he asked. At the back of his mind, he doesn’t know where the sudden boldness came from. Maybe he did inherit some of Yanjun’s straightforward personality after all.

Iris grinned, “Sure. It’ll end after this tour.”

“Okay, great!” Linong grinned back then followed the other guests as the tour resumed.  
***

“Where have you been, Nongnong?” Zhangjing asked as they prepared for dinner time.

Linong smiled at his roommate. At the start of their stay, Xukun (ever the responsible leader after all this time) divided them into three groups: Linong, Yanjun and Zhangjing in the first room; Zhengting, Chengcheng, and Justin in the second; and Xukun, Ziyi, and Xiao Gui in the last.

“I made a new friend, ge,” he answered, taking his portable phone charger and charging cord, “Her name is Iris and she is one of the tour guides.”

“I heard a woman’s name,” Yanjun finally emerged from the bathroom, wearing just black jeans and a towel was draped on his shoulders.

“Nongnong made a new friend,” Zhangjing supplied, sitting beside Linong.

The latter nodded, “Yep. She’s a tour guide I met this afternoon.”

“Really? And then?” Yanjun asked. He dried himself up then wore a shirt before finger combing his damp hair.

“I learned a lot about this resort, gege,” Linong said, “Turns out, the owner is a retired seaman and he built this resort for his eldest daughter.”

Zhangjing’s brows rose, “Why, is she dead?”

The younger man shrugged, “Iris didn’t say. Maybe this was a gift to the eldest daughter?”

Yanjun finished dressing up then snagged his phone from the bedside table, “Tell us more on the way to the buffet.”  
***

Linong met Iris again the next day.

She wasn’t on tour shift when he saw her. Instead, she was cleaning the game area and Linong went in because he was a surprised that she has no one helping her.

“Hey Iris,” he said, approaching her.

Iris looked up, then grinned when she saw him, “Hi, Nongnong! What are you doing here?”

“On the way back to my room,” he answered, “Why are you cleaning up alone? Let me help you.”

She shook her head, “It’s okay! I’m just wiping up stuff anyway.” She assured, holding holding up a cleaning rug. 

“Let me help you wipe stuff up then,” Linong took another rug and began to wipe the board games before Iris could protest.

The girl chuckled and resumed her chore, “Thank you, Nongnong.”

Linong felt thankful that he was not facing Iris, or else she’ll see his red cheeks. “You’re welcome, Iris,” he replied.

Silence. 

“By the way, who are you with in this resort?” Iris asked after a few moments. 

“My geges,” he answered immediately, “Kun-ge, Ziyi-ge, all of them.”

“Really, the whole Nine Percent?” she moved on to the balls, “So, is it like a reunion thing?”

He nodded, “Yep. We do it once a year.” 

“Wow. You guys manage to do it despite your busy schedules?”

“Well,” Linong chuckled, “Yeah, we try not to break a promise. It’ll hurt many of us and Ting-ge will hunt us down.” 

She laughed, “I see. Zhu Zhengting still the ‘violent fairy’ that he is?”

Linong couldn’t help but laugh at the nickname. That was given by the fans to Zhengting and, if he was being honest, it had been a while since he heard his gege being called that.

“Yeah. Some things never change,” he said. He finished with the board games then went to arrange the balls on the billiard table.

Iris noticed what Linong was doing and she gently pushed his hand away, “Nongnong, it’s okay. I’ll do it by myself.”

“But, Iris…”

“Nongnong?” Zhengting called from the outside, “Where are you? We’re about to have lunch!”

“Gege, I’m in here!” Linong dropped the rug then went out of the game area. He saw Zhengting walking towards him, with Chengcheng and Justin playing a few feet behind the mother hen.

“Why are you in there?” Zhengting asked.

“I was helping Iris,” the Taiwanese answered, “She was cleaning everything alone.”

“Iris? You mean the tour guide you met yesterday?” Zhengting said.

“Yep!” Linong pulled his gege in the game area, “Let me introduce you to—“

He stopped, his eyes scanning the entire floor. No one was there, and the game area was untouched. There was no sign that it was cleaned up, save for the newly arranged board games and billiard balls.

“Nongnong?” Zhengting poked his arm, “What’s wrong?”

Linong was a little dumbfounded. It hasn’t even been 5 minutes since he went out to get Zhengting so he couldn’t understand it.

“Gege, Iris was just here.”  
***

Dinner time came, and Linong was still baffled over what happened back in the game area. He still could get over that Iris just…disappeared like that. There were no traces that she even left.

It was like she teleported, if that was even possible.

As he filled his plate with his second helping of rice, he saw someone wave from the corner of his eye. He looked up and saw Iris.

For some weird reason, and Linong just noticed it, she was still wearing the same tour guide uniform from yesterday.

He set his plate down on a nearby table then approached Iris.

“Hey,” he greeted, “Where have you been? I was about to introduce you to Ting-ge.”

“Can I talk to you somewhere private?” She requested, “I won’t take long. Please?”

He looked back at his brothers, who were all eating and goofing around in their own table. Then he nodded at Iris and followed her out of the buffet arena.

Once they were outside, Iris said, “Nongnong, this is my last day working in the resort.”

“Huh? Why?” Linong asked, surprised, “Don’t you like it here?”

She chuckled, “I got a good offer somewhere, Nongnong. It’s too good of an opportunity to pass.”

“Oh,” Linong could catch the drift of someone wanting to work in a better company with a better compensation and opportunities, “Is that why you disappeared in the game area before?”

Iris nodded, “Yeah. I suddenly got a call from the hiring manager of the company I’ll work with soon. Sorry I didn’t say anything back then.”

“Anyway,” she smiled up at him, “I’m really glad I met you, Nongnong. I never expected this, to be honest.”

Linong became shy, “I’m glad I met you, too, Iris. I, uh, just wish we got to know each other more. I think you’re a really nice person.”

That made her blush, and he couldn’t help but think how cute she looks. “Will you promise me one thing, Nongnong?”

“If I can.”

“Please don’t forget me?”

He blinked, “Oh. Sure, I won’t, Iris. I promise—“

“Nongnong, what are you doing?”

Linong looked up and saw Zhangjing just a few feet away from him. The elder had a worried look on his face.

“And who are you talking to?” the singer approached Linong.

“I—“ Linong looked in front of him and his eyes widened.

Iris was gone. Again.

“Nothing,” he said, “Just went to get fresh air.”

“Fresh air?” Zhangjing repeated, obviously not believing what he just said, “I heard you speaking to someone. Who was it?”

“Just talking to myself, gege,” Linong assured, doing his best to conceal the budding fear in him, “Sorry I worried you.”

The Malaysian pursed his lips, “Oh okay then. Let’s go back in. The others are looking for you.”  
***

It was the last day of their stay in the resort. Tomorrow morning, they will all go back to China and resume their normal hectic schedules.

While the others enjoyed the beach and resort amenities one more time, Linong decided to investigate on something else. Making sure that his friends were occupied, the Taiwanese went to the house where the tour guides usually stay in.

“Hello,” Linong approached the woman at the reception desk.

She looked up and smiled, “Hello, Sir. How may I help you?”

“I’m looking for a tour guide,” he said, “I just want to thank her for the amazing tour she gave the other day.”

“May I get the name, Sir?”

“It’s Iris. I didn’t get her last name but she is pretty petite with medium length black hair,” Linong said then held a hand up to his chest, “She’s about this tall, Ma’am. And she was the one who gave the tour two days ago.”

The receptionist gave Linong an odd look, “You must be mistaken, Sir. We don’t have a tour guide with that name.”

Now Linong gave the receptionist an odd look as well, “So…who was the guide who gave the tour two days ago?”

“Her name is May, but her tour was scheduled at 4 to 6 pm,” she replied, “Were you a part of that group?”

He frowned. Linong was very sure that Iris gave a tour before lunch time.

Baffled by the turn of events, he quietly thanked the receptionist then went out of the place.

“What’s going on…” he muttered as he passed by the guest reception area, where a handful of tourists were lined up at the entrance. As he walked on, he noticed the huge frame that was hung on one side of the wall. To be honest, he saw it once during their first day but he never really paid attention to it.

He approached the wall, focusing all of his attention on what looked like a family photo. He noticed that there were six people in the picture; the mother and father were standing behind their four kids, who were all seated on elegant-looking chairs made of wood.

Linong stared at the young woman seated right in front of the mother. She had medium length black hair, warm dark eyes and a smile so familiar that he was sure he saw her face to face already.

Iris.

“Excuse me,” Linong approached a janitor who was dusting the furniture, “I’m sorry, but who are those people?” he pointed at the picture.

The man followed where Linong was pointing, “Ah, that’s the family photo of the owners of this resort. “

“Oh,” Linong nodded, “Okay. Uhm, the girl in the middle looks kind of familiar to me. I think I saw her somewhere. May I know who she is?”

“That’s Ms. Iris, the eldest daughter of the owner,” the janitor answered, “This resort was built as a gift on her 21st birthday.”

“Ah. Where is she now?”

The man shook his head, “She’s dead, Sir. She died last year after an accident.”

Linong’s eyes widened. Wait, did he hear it right?

“What, why?” he asked, heart pounding as his mind began to realize that maybe after all this time he was talking to a lost soul.

“She went to China last year to attend a reunion concert of her favorite pop group there,” the man replied, “Ms. Iris didn’t make it because the plane crashed. Her body was found months later.”

Linong’s body suddenly went numb, his mind whirling as he processed the information. As if on autopilot, he thanked the janitor then headed back to his room. As he did so, he remembered Iris’ words last night.

“Today is my last day in this resort.”

“Please don’t forget me?”

Linong wondered if Iris finally found peace after their encounter with each other. He has no concrete answer, but he was sure of one thing.

He never saw the resort the same way ever again.  
***

“Wow,” was all that Yanjun managed to say. Their drinks were long gone now, and they have been in the same position for more than an hour already.

Linong looked at Yanjun, “Do you believe my story, gege?”

Yanjun blinked, “It’s a lot to take in, Nongnong. To think she showed herself to you during our vacation there…”

“It’s mind boggling, to be honest,” the younger sighed, “But, I did read about the plane crash when we got back, the one that happened before our reunion concert.”

“Yeah, I remember that too. We even had a moment of silence to pray for the victims and their families before we started the concert,” Yanjun said.

“You know, maybe you should visit her grave,” Yanjun suggested, “It wouldn’t hurt, right?”

Linong looked up in alarm, “But gege…what if her spirit pops up or something? I’d be scared to death if that happens!”

The older man waved a hand, “I doubt it. Besides, she was friendly to you back at the resort.”

Linong hesitated.

“If you’re scared, I’ll accompany you.”

In the end, Linong managed to find out where Iris was buried. As promised, Yanjun came with him, and managed to drag Zhangjing with them. The more the merrier, and safety in numbers, as Yanjun claimed.

Linong stood in front of Iris’ grave, holding a bouquet of flowers. Yanjun cleared up the melted wax while Zhangjing prepared fresh candles. As his friends did their own thing, Linong closed his eyes and sent a prayer to Iris.

‘I’m sorry for what happened to you, Iris. But, I’m still glad I met your soul. I hope you’re happy and you found your peace. Don’t worry, I’ll keep your promise. And when my schedule allows it, I’ll go back to the resort.’

He set the flowers down then stayed by the grave for a while, all three men gazing at the candles and bouquet. After several moments of silence, they quietly agreed to go back.

“You okay, Nongnong?” Zhangjing asked, putting a hand on Linong’s shoulder.

The younger smiled, “Yeah. I’m okay, ge. Thanks for accompanying me here. You too, Jun-ge.”

As they all walked out of the cemetery gates, a breeze blew by, gently ruffling their hair and jackets. And Linong swore he heard a woman’s voice, softly whispering in his ear.

‘Thank you.’

**Author's Note:**

> Posted in my tumblr as well:  
> https://bit.ly/2GdD6li


End file.
